Bidding apparatus



Nov. 15, 1932." M. J. HUIZINGA 1,387,634

I BIDDING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 11, 1926.

9/000 discharge Z/ubes EI/cntorv' Ivor-tin J ohqnn Hail/n30.

. end use is made Patented Nov. 15, 1932 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE m'rmr' J'OHL'NN HUIZINGA, OF EMBLEM, NETHERLANDS nmnnm Arrm'rus Application filed February 11, 1928, Serial No. 87,713, and in the Netherlands February 18, 1925.

This invention relates to a si alling-or called glow discharge tubes, which are tubes indicating device so constructed that it enfilled with inert gases and which are withables any desired number of persons to give out filament, which hitherto were often used a signal, as for instance at auctions where, for advertising purposes, that is as the sowhile the auctioneer increases or reduces the called letter lamps. It is a characteristic prices, a purchaser will at a "ven moment of these kinds of lamps that'they start lightindicate that he wishes to pure ase. mg at a voltage of for instance 220 volts and Various arrangements, of this kind are continue lighting even if the voltage is de- Jmown, all of which are operated by means of creased to e. g. 140- volts, but that they do 10 electromagnetic rela s. v not start lightlng at such low voltage.

Notwithstandingt at the said devices have The invention will be made clear by the already proved to constitute a considerable description of the arrangement which hereimprovement over the manner of biddin forbelow is described by way of example and merly employed, so that the highest bidder which is illustrated by the accompanying 15 may be determined, with more certainty it, drawing. V has appeared in practice that with the said In the said drawing, gs represent a pluarrangements there is the disadvantage that rallty of glow lamp discharge tubesof the if two or more persons give the si a1 simul- 'same type, connected in parallel, which each taneously or almost simultaneous y, the said are connected in series with a push or other signal is not always transmitted in proper contact device as shown in the drawing. The order or the right order can not always be tubes are arranged in parallel with an ortraced. The possibility that when a certain dlnary director alternating current con-' amount is called two or more persons will ductor of for instance 220 volts or a battery exactly simultaneously operate the bidding or other source of current, whilst the whole 25 apparatus, to indicate their desire to pursystem is receded by a common series rechase, may be neglected. There will almost sistance which may be of the order of invariably beaspace oftime between the momagnitude of the internal resistance of a ments the apparatus is operated by the relagldwlng tube. If now a circuitof one of the 'tive persons, which space of time however contact devices is closed the tube included 3 may sometimes be very small, and therefore therein will be lighted by the full voltage will only manifest itself when the velocity of 220 volts, which is higher than the diswith which the apparatus functions is not charge voltage. As soon as the lamp is hindered by mechanical or other influences lighted the potential drops to a value which due to the construction or the arrangement will be dependent in inverse ratio on the 35 of the apparatus. value of the series resistance. For example,

According to the invention the signalling the series resistance is 8000 ohms and the apparatus in question is constructed so that lighted tube has a resistance of 16000 ohms when asignal is given the signal itself prethen the voltage will be decreased from 220 vents another person from iving such sigvolts to approximately 140 volts. This voltnal, at the same time thereiy securing the age is not suflicient to light the other lamps, desired accuracy above referred to. so that in this way the whole signalling de- According to the invention, useis made vice is put out of operation for the other of a signalling apparatus which starts oppurchasers until the first purchaser has reerating at a predetermined voltage but which leased his contact. It is obvious that one of as soon as it has come into operation, autothe greatest advantages of the invention is matically reduces the voltage on the other to be seen in the fact that the discharge phesignalling apparatuses arranged parallel nomenon inthe lighted lamp gives'asignal therewithto solow a value that they are pre-. and at the same time. prevents the lighting vented from coming into operation. To this of the other lamps' 7 k a peculiarity of the so- 'As stated above the device may be supplied 'cator of the automatic auctioneer.

with direct current as well as with alternating current. The discharge voltage of the tubes may not vary too much, which applies also to the minimum potentials, the series re-. sistance being designed to reduce the voltage below the discharge voltage of any of the other tubes.

Discharge voltage and minimum light voltage will depart from each other more according to the tubes being designed for starting at a higher voltage.

Sometimes it is preferable to arrange the contact devices between the tubes and the common series resistance so that they are protected at both sides by a rather high resistance.

The invention is not limited to the above mentioned application but may also be carried out in other ranges as for instance in calling devices in telephony or in signalling systems for railways. The apparatus may also be operated at voltages quite different from those mentioned by way of example, such voltage depending in large measure on the gases with which the tubes are filled and on the shape and the dimensions of the electrodes. The intensity of the light may be made higher than with ordinary glow discharge tubes.

If the signalling device described hereabove, is used with a bidding apparatus which is provided with an electric auctioneer then the circuit may be provided with a device such for instance as a relay which stops the auctioneer. The winding of said relay may have such a resistance that it may be substituted for the resistance W. Further it is possible to impress the voltage difierence, which occurs at the terminals of resistance W when current is flowing through it, upon a thermionic device, whereby a current variation is caused in the plate circuit thereof, which operates the braking device of the electric auctioneer.

The drawing indicateshow the potential difference which occurs between the terminals of the resistance W, when one of the'contacts is closed, may be used to stop the indi- To that end the said potential difference is impressed upon a, thermionic amplifier of any Wellknown type, represented in the figure by the rectangle A. The amplified current produced in the output circuit thereof energizes the magnet M which is turn pulls the pawl P between the teeth of the pinion R associated with the indicator of the auctioneer which thereby is forced to stop.

Further it may be desirable to provide a device, which holds the contact even if the push is released, which contact may afterwards be broken by a manipulation of the auction master.

To this end a pawl and spring B may be pro vided which holds the contact-pin when it .contact B, in such manner that the pin S can be moved back only after the pawl B is retracted through the intermediary of means such as an electromagnet N, the latter being adapted for actuation at will by the auction-master. Any source of current 0 L may be provided by actuation of the electromagnet N.

Further the current circuit of the signalling lamp may be adapted to lock itself, which locking is only removed when the current circuit is interrupted by the auction master. As this may be 'efiected with well. known means a further description in detail of such arrangements will not be necessary.

I claim:

I. An electric signalling system having a current limiting means, comprising a main circuit including a source of current, and a plurality of branch circuits connected in parallel across said main circuit, each branch circuit including in series, a glow discharge tube with which the current limiting means is connected in series, and a switch, the glow discharge tube being activated by the switch first operated, producing, independently of any mechanically moving part, a potential dro in the main circuit across the current limiting means to a value insuificient to activate any other of the glow discharge tubes.

2. An electric signalling system comprising a main circuitincluding a source of current, a current limiting means, and a plurality of branch circuits connected in parallel across said main circuit, each branch circuit including in series, a glow discharge tube, with which the current limiting means is connected in series, and a switch, the glow discharge tube activated by the switch first operated producing, independently of any mechanically moving part, a potential drop in the main circuit, across said current limiting means, to a value insufiicient to activate any of the other glow discharge tubes.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, in combination with an automatic price indicator including means for stopping the indicator when a tube is energized.

4. An electric signalling system as claimed in claim 2, in which the current limiting means has such value that the lighting of one tube reduces the potential which theremay be impressed upon the other tubes to a point below the lighting potential of each of the said other tubes, means for locking the switches when depressed, and a control switchseparate from said contact devices for breaking the contact established by the switches in said parallel circuits.

6. An electric signalling system as claimed in claim 2, the current limiting means having such value that the lighting of one tube by the closing of its switch reduces the potential in said circuits which thereafter is available to be vimpressed upon the other tubes, to a voltage below the lighting potential of said other tubes.

In testimony whereof I aflix In si ature.

MARTEN J OHANN ZI GA. 

